"Debris" that most likely was a weapon from an orbiting extra terrestrial craft.

Dayze

07-15-2009, 05:11 PM

not good.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:12 PM

Shortly after liftoff the camera that shows the main tank and the underside of the shuttle showed a cloud of debris striking the heat shield tiles on Endeavour and leaving some faint white streaks. NASA will be studying the videos and tomorrow will look at the strike area using the robotic arm on the shuttle.

Buck

07-15-2009, 05:13 PM

So its out in space now?

Can a rescue craft come and get them?

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:13 PM

What network? I see nothing of this yet on cnn.com or foxnews.com.

BigMeatballDave

07-15-2009, 05:15 PM

I was watching the launch on NASA. I didnt see anything out of the ordinary, nor did mission control say anything during the launch.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:15 PM

Hard to say how long it would take to prep a rescue mission...They can probably stay docked to the ISS for awhile, but how long?...

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:16 PM

I live in Florida about 50 miles from the Cape...Local stations just broke in with the news.

BigMeatballDave

07-15-2009, 05:18 PM

I'm watching CNN. No mention. Now talking about Shuttle, but nothing about debris striking it.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:18 PM

I was watching the launch on NASA. I didnt see anything out of the ordinary, nor did mission control say anything during the launch.

They were watching the tapes after the shuttle was in orbit and noticed the strike.

chasedude

07-15-2009, 05:18 PM

What network? I see nothing of this yet on cnn.com or foxnews.com.

Because they're all Michael, all the time.

Hammock Parties

07-15-2009, 05:21 PM

Has Bruce Willis been called in yet?

BigMeatballDave

07-15-2009, 05:23 PM

They were watching the tapes after the shuttle was in orbit and noticed the strike.Oh, interesting. I sure hope its nothing...

Goldmember

07-15-2009, 05:25 PM

could be the space satellite also known as Michael Jackson

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:26 PM

Yeah, I saw it on replay. Looked like three or four big chunks of foam.

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:27 PM

Just watching the NASA presser on cnn.com, and they don't seem too concerned, as of yet.

Frazod

07-15-2009, 05:27 PM

Good Christ, what an embarrassment NASA is. :shake:

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:29 PM

Just watching the NASA presser on cnn.com, and they don't seem too concerned, as of yet.

Yeah, hopefully the pieces of debris were too small to cause any damage, but they did hit the tiles...

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:29 PM

Good Christ, what an embarrassment NASA is. :shake:

:spock:

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:29 PM

Good Christ, what an embarrassment NASA is. :shake:

The shuttle should never have been designed the way it is. At the very least, ice will always fall of launch vehicles. Of course, prior to the shuttle, all the humans were on the pointy-end, not strapped to the side of the tank with all the crap falling off it.

FAX

07-15-2009, 05:30 PM

Damn. Damn, damn, damn.

FAX

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:31 PM

After Columbia, I'm positive that they've engineered some major improvements into the whole debris strike issue.

Halfcan

07-15-2009, 05:33 PM

Has Dane been called in yet?

FYP

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:34 PM

Actually, they carry a tile repair kit on board now. Of course it's never been tried before.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:36 PM

The shuttle should never have been designed the way it is. At the very least, ice will always fall of launch vehicles. Of course, prior to the shuttle, all the humans were on the pointy-end, not strapped to the side of the tank with all the crap falling off it.

Actually, it has been insulating foam falling off of the main tank that has caused disaster in the past...not ice...A problem that only began after NASA had to change the glue used to attach the foam because some left-wing nut jobs started complaining that the glue they had been using was not environmentally friendly...

FAX

07-15-2009, 05:36 PM

A tile repair kit?

FAX

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:36 PM

Well, but I'm also sure that tile technology has improved since then.

Frazod

07-15-2009, 05:36 PM

:spock:

I'm sorry, but they've been launching these goddamn things for nearly 30 years, you'd think at some point they'd work the bugs out.

No wonder we've never gone back to the moon. I wouldn't trust these fuckers to get me safely to Georgia.

Actually, it has been insulating foam falling off of the main tank that has caused disaster in the past...not ice...

Yes, I know. My point was about having the crew vehicle above all the crap falling off, be it ice or foam.

orange

07-15-2009, 05:38 PM

Actually, they carry a tile repair kit on board now. Of course it's never been tried before.

Tests in Space on Repairing Shuttle Tiles

By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: March 21, 2008

Two NASA astronauts left the International Space Station on Thursday evening to test techniques for repairing delicate shuttle tiles with a kind of orbital spackle.

NASA has been looking for ways to repair the tiles and panels, which protect the shuttle from the heat of re-entry, since the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003.

Several techniques have been developed. This test used what mission managers called a “goo gun”; it is formally known as a tile repair ablator dispenser.

During the tile repair demonstration, the astronauts filled a series of neat holes and rough gouges. The results will be examined upon the shuttle’s return.

Ginger Kerrick, the station flight director, said in a briefing on Thursday that before NASA could rely on the material chosen for the task, it must be convinced that it acts as it should and that the applicator does its job properly.

Mission managers have said repeatedly that they already have confidence in the material and the applicator. The technique has been tested both in vacuum chambers and under the punishing temperature extremes found in space.

But they could not duplicate the microgravity environment of space, aside from brief bits of time spent in steep descent in specially equipped airplanes. So this experiment will show whether the lack of gravity impairs the putty’s performance.

Zebulon C. Scoville, the lead spacewalk planner for this mission, said the open question concerned bubbles that could occur as the material was laid and began to set.

“In zero gravity, are those bubbles going to rise to the surface?” Mr. Scoville said at a briefing for reporters, “Or are they going to act more like a bread loaf as it bakes, with the gas expanding in the material and being evenly distributed bubbles that then cause the surface to rise up over the top?”

A repair that leaves the putty bulging over the top of the tile could be worse than a shallow gouge, he said, because it can disrupt the flow of superheated gas over the bottom of the shuttle and cause uneven heating downstream of the bump.

The trip outside for Maj. Robert L. Behnken of the Air Force and Capt. Michael J. Foreman of the Navy began with a different task: replacing a circuit breaker that routes power to one of the four gyroscopes that help maintain the orbiting laboratory’s attitude.

But the main event was the work of Captain Foreman, who was hailed as “Mr. Goo” by his colleagues; they also compared him to Rembrandt and called him “grout and tile specialist.” To the last, he replied, “hope we don’t need one.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/science/space/21shuttle.html

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:39 PM

A tile repair kit?

FAX

Yes. They will scan the belly of Endeavour thoroughly (they do every mission since Columbia) and they do have a repair kit. It would require a really fun spacewalk and has never been tested in orbit.

Of course, they are going to the ISS anyway.

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:39 PM

Tests in Space on Repairing Shuttle Tiles

By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: March 21, 2008

Two NASA astronauts left the International Space Station on Thursday evening to test techniques for repairing delicate shuttle tiles with a kind of orbital spackle.

NASA has been looking for ways to repair the tiles and panels, which protect the shuttle from the heat of re-entry, since the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew in 2003.

Several techniques have been developed. This test used what mission managers called a “goo gun”; it is formally known as a tile repair ablator dispenser.

During the tile repair demonstration, the astronauts filled a series of neat holes and rough gouges. The results will be examined upon the shuttle’s return.

Ginger Kerrick, the station flight director, said in a briefing on Thursday that before NASA could rely on the material chosen for the task, it must be convinced that it acts as it should and that the applicator does its job properly.

Mission managers have said repeatedly that they already have confidence in the material and the applicator. The technique has been tested both in vacuum chambers and under the punishing temperature extremes found in space.

But they could not duplicate the microgravity environment of space, aside from brief bits of time spent in steep descent in specially equipped airplanes. So this experiment will show whether the lack of gravity impairs the putty’s performance.

Zebulon C. Scoville, the lead spacewalk planner for this mission, said the open question concerned bubbles that could occur as the material was laid and began to set.

“In zero gravity, are those bubbles going to rise to the surface?” Mr. Scoville said at a briefing for reporters, “Or are they going to act more like a bread loaf as it bakes, with the gas expanding in the material and being evenly distributed bubbles that then cause the surface to rise up over the top?”

A repair that leaves the putty bulging over the top of the tile could be worse than a shallow gouge, he said, because it can disrupt the flow of superheated gas over the bottom of the shuttle and cause uneven heating downstream of the bump.

The trip outside for Maj. Robert L. Behnken of the Air Force and Capt. Michael J. Foreman of the Navy began with a different task: replacing a circuit breaker that routes power to one of the four gyroscopes that help maintain the orbiting laboratory’s attitude.

But the main event was the work of Captain Foreman, who was hailed as “Mr. Goo” by his colleagues; they also compared him to Rembrandt and called him “grout and tile specialist.” To the last, he replied, “hope we don’t need one.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/science/space/21shuttle.html

Huh. I thought that was canceled.

FAX

07-15-2009, 05:41 PM

I'm sorry, but they've been launching these goddamn things for nearly 30 years, you'd think at some point they'd work the bugs out.

No wonder we've never gone back to the moon. I wouldn't trust these ****ers to get me safely to Georgia.

They would be good at some stuff, though, Mr. frazod. Like say ... demolition.

Guys ... do they know what this "debris" was? Was it ice? Foam? Particle ray? Did they collide with a meteor?

FAX

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:43 PM

They would be good at some stuff, though, Mr. frazod. Like say ... demolition.

Guys ... do they know what this "debris" was? Was it ice? Foam? Particle ray? Did they collide with a meteor?

FAXI'd think foam would be the safe assumption.

D2112

07-15-2009, 05:43 PM

They should discontinue using that piece of garbage. bust out the old Saturn rockets out of moth balls. they were much more reliable.

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:44 PM

Aren't there only a few missions left in the STS series?

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:47 PM

Aren't there only a few missions left in the STS series?

Yes. There are seven more scheduled after this one.

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:48 PM

It will be nice to have space vehicles that aren't the cream of 70's-80's technology.

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:49 PM

It will be nice to have space vehicles that aren't the cream of 70's-80's technology.

Constellation is going to be a nice bird.

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:51 PM

But the mood was dampened somewhat when NASA managers watched the launch video.

Several pieces of foam insulation came off the external fuel tank during liftoff, and the shuttle was hit two or three times, said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA's space operations chief. Some scuff marks were spotted on the belly, but that probably is coating loss and considered minor, he said.

Engineers immediately began reviewing all the launch video, standard procedure ever since flights resumed following the Columbia disaster. Gerstenmaier said zoom-in photos will be taken of the entire shuttle right before it docks with the space station Friday, to ascertain whether the shuttle suffered any serious damage.

"The bottom line is we saw some stuff," said Mike Moses, chairman of the mission management team. "Some of it doesn't concern us. Some of it you just can't really speculate on right now. But we have the tools in front of us and the processes in front of us to go clear this vehicle for entry" in 16 days.

"Bob" Dobbs

07-15-2009, 05:52 PM

Donger, I haven't kept up like I used to, but isn't the next program kinda a redesign of Apollo/Saturn?

D2112

07-15-2009, 05:52 PM

Donger, I haven't kept up like I used to, but isn't the next program kinda a redesign of Apollo/Saturn?

Yes

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

Donger

07-15-2009, 05:54 PM

Donger, I haven't kept up like I used to, but isn't the next program kinda a redesign of Apollo/Saturn?

Yes, but with a few significant changes.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 05:55 PM

I'm sorry, but they've been launching these goddamn things for nearly 30 years, you'd think at some point they'd work the bugs out.

No wonder we've never gone back to the moon. I wouldn't trust these ****ers to get me safely to Georgia.

Space flight is inherently dangerous, and involves speeds, pressures, temperatures, things that most earthbound idiots could never comprehend.

I'm also aware they've been doing this shit for very long time. Yet the same problems keep popping up over and over and over. It's unsatisfactory.

At least you keep proving my point.

Frazod

07-15-2009, 06:30 PM

At least you keep proving my point.

Perhaps you are on the payroll.

It would explain a lot.

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 06:44 PM

Perhaps you are on the payroll.

It would explain a lot.

No, I'm not, but I would be incredibly proud of it if I was....

Demonpenz

07-15-2009, 06:50 PM

you would think nasa would have a sweeter website.

FAX

07-15-2009, 07:14 PM

If it wasn't for the billions of dollars invested in each explosion (it would be far cheaper just to use gasoline and a match) I'd be all for NASA. As long as the explosions weren't associated with manned missions, of course.

I mean, when it comes to blowing sh*t up, nobody is even in NASA'S league. By my count, so far, they have blown up sh*t on at least 4 planets and a moon. And that's not counting any secret missions or the military ones. Nobody's better. Not the Ruskies, not Red Adair, not anybody.

Still, I hope they've figured out a way to launch rescue missions in a reasonable amount of time. Mr. Donger, you said earlier that the launch window on this mission was 5 minutes or something? Was that weather related? Do you know whether or not there are any restrictions (other than the obvious availability of equipment and personnel) on launching rescue missions?

FAX

J Diddy

07-15-2009, 07:16 PM

Yes

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/constellation/main/index.html

That's pretty cool.

Phobia

07-15-2009, 07:17 PM

you would think nasa would have a sweeter website.

They're not exactly rocket scientists...

J Diddy

07-15-2009, 07:19 PM

They should discontinue using that piece of garbage. bust out the old Saturn rockets out of moth balls. they were much more reliable.

Didn't they launch a saturn rocket after the shuttle disinegrated during reentry and it blew up too? Seems I remember reading something about that.

FAX

07-15-2009, 07:28 PM

Didn't they launch a saturn rocket after the shuttle disinegrated during reentry and it blew up too? Seems I remember reading something about that.

Hmmm. I must have missed that. I'm not surprised, though. Events like that don't receive a lot of media coverage, Mr. J Diddy. It's news when a NASA project doesn't explode to hell and gone.

FAX

Skip Towne

07-15-2009, 07:28 PM

Spacecraft consist of thousands of moving parts costing millions of dollars. All supplied by the lowest bidder. That would make me very nervous if I were riding one.

007

07-15-2009, 07:30 PM

Spacecraft consist of thousands of moving parts costing millions of dollars. All supplied by the lowest bidder. That would make me very nervous if I were riding one.Armageddon

kstater

07-15-2009, 07:30 PM

Spacecraft consist of thousands of moving parts costing millions of dollars. All supplied by the lowest bidder. That would make me very nervous if I were riding one.

Uhh, try billions of dollars, and millions of parts, and in no way near the lowest bidder.

sedated

07-15-2009, 07:37 PM

you would think nasa would have a sweeter website.

they've got a few other things on their minds

FAX

07-15-2009, 08:06 PM

I've always admired those astronaut guys. Especially the first ones. Down in Huntsville, I sat in a backup capsule salvaged from the Mercury program ... just like the one that John Glenn and Gus Grissom and those guys were in. It was just like sitting in a washing machine with a bunch of old-time levers and switches and stuff. Zero room. None. Talk about strapping your ass to a rocket. Well ... I guess that's pretty much what they did.

FAX

Ebolapox

07-15-2009, 08:07 PM

I'm sorry, but they've been launching these goddamn things for nearly 30 years, you'd think at some point they'd work the bugs out.

No wonder we've never gone back to the moon. I wouldn't trust these fuckers to get me safely to Georgia.

they can get you from texas to florida if you're willing to wear a diaper.

Claysexual

07-15-2009, 08:40 PM

I'm sorry, but they've been launching these goddamn things for nearly 30 years, you'd think at some point they'd work the bugs out.

No wonder we've never gone back to the moon. I wouldn't trust these fuckers to get me safely to Georgia.

ROFL

"The Space Shuttle: Flying Since My Great Grandparents Voted For Reagan"!

J Diddy

07-15-2009, 09:09 PM

I've always admired those astronaut guys. Especially the first ones. Down in Huntsville, I sat in a backup capsule salvaged from the Mercury program ... just like the one that John Glenn and Gus Grissom and those guys were in. It was just like sitting in a washing machine with a bunch of old-time levers and switches and stuff. Zero room. None. Talk about strapping your ass to a rocket. Well ... I guess that's pretty much what they did.

FAX

Yes Mr. Fax, they had Mucho Grande cajones.

acesn8s

07-15-2009, 10:19 PM

Actually, it has been insulating foam falling off of the main tank that has caused disaster in the past...not ice...A problem that only began after NASA had to change the glue used to attach the foam because some left-wing nut jobs started complaining that the glue they had been using was not environmentally friendly...Pieces of radioactive space shuttle falling from the sky is real safe. :shake:

Bwana

07-15-2009, 10:21 PM

Uhh, try billions of dollars, and millions of parts, and in no way near the lowest bidder.

You are correct.

Pioli Zombie

07-15-2009, 10:32 PM

As the space shuttle was going under the overpass a couple of mexican kids were seen throwing debris
Posted via Mobile Device

mikey23545

07-15-2009, 11:55 PM

Pieces of radioactive space shuttle falling from the sky is real safe. :shake:

How did the space shuttle get radioactive, fuqtard?

You're the perfect example of scientific education in the 21st century...

Claysexual

07-16-2009, 12:16 AM

It's 2009; where the fuck is my Hover Craft/RocketMobile?!

Oh, that's right; that money went to fund greater consolidation through advanced satellite-tracking technology and deployment!

I'm also aware they've been doing this shit for very long time. Yet the same problems keep popping up over and over and over. It's unsatisfactory.

I guess our space program is not up to Fraz's standards yet, we should be way better, you know like.. ????

Frikkin idiots at NASA!

JOhn

07-16-2009, 12:27 AM

How did the space shuttle get radioactive, fuqtard?

You're the perfect example of scientific education in the 21st century...

ROFL

:thumb:

FAX

07-16-2009, 12:51 AM

How did the space shuttle get radioactive ...?

I think it got radioactive from the Van Halen belt, Mr. mikey23545. That is where the radio waves come from and when the space shuttle flies in there, it picks up those radio waves and gets some radioactive on itself. That's where it got it.

FAX

J Diddy

07-16-2009, 01:41 AM

I think it got radioactive from the Van Halen belt, Mr. mikey23545. That is where the radio waves come from and when the space shuttle flies in there, it picks up those radio waves and gets some radioactive on itself. That's where it got it.

FAX

fucking eddie and his need for the best amps

teedubya

07-16-2009, 04:28 AM

Along the same lines...

http://wechoosethemoon.org/

007

07-16-2009, 04:52 AM

Along the same lines...

http://wechoosethemoon.org/Damn, I'm going to miss the launch.

mikey23545

07-16-2009, 05:10 AM

Along the same lines...

http://wechoosethemoon.org/

Now that is just too friggin' cool.

Rep for you.

mikey23545

07-16-2009, 05:17 AM

You know...there really isn't <i>that</i> much for me to do at the shop today...

Donger

07-16-2009, 06:49 AM

If it wasn't for the billions of dollars invested in each explosion (it would be far cheaper just to use gasoline and a match) I'd be all for NASA. As long as the explosions weren't associated with manned missions, of course.

I mean, when it comes to blowing sh*t up, nobody is even in NASA'S league. By my count, so far, they have blown up sh*t on at least 4 planets and a moon. And that's not counting any secret missions or the military ones. Nobody's better. Not the Ruskies, not Red Adair, not anybody.

Still, I hope they've figured out a way to launch rescue missions in a reasonable amount of time. Mr. Donger, you said earlier that the launch window on this mission was 5 minutes or something? Was that weather related? Do you know whether or not there are any restrictions (other than the obvious availability of equipment and personnel) on launching rescue missions?

FAX

No, the limited launch window was not weather related. Since this mission is to the ISS, it has to be caught in orbit (obviously) and there are some very specific time windows that allow an efficient launch, chase and docking.

Saulbadguy

07-16-2009, 06:59 AM

Seriously, why all the NASA hate?

Donger

07-16-2009, 07:08 AM

Armageddon

They actually borrowed that line from Alan Shepard.

JD10367

07-16-2009, 07:46 AM

IIRC the "tile repair kit" is basically a patch plate and a molly bolt, with some glue and foam and stuff. Just enough to get them back to earth... but I'm pretty sure it can only be used on a flat-surface hole. If they get hit on the wing edge like they did with Columbia, they're f**ked.

Reiterating what's been said here: launching space vehicles isn't easy. It's complicated physics coupled with complicated machinery. Don't you think, if they had a safer, better, and more economical way to do it, they'd be doing it? In order to lug up giant payloads, they needed a bird with a big hangar, and thus they could no longer just shove stuff on the tip of a rocket where it was safe from debris.

This thread makes me wanna go watch "The Right Stuff" again...

Donger

07-16-2009, 08:36 AM

BTW, Orion 15 is scheduled to land on the Moon in June 2019.

Frazod

07-16-2009, 09:22 AM

I guess our space program is not up to Fraz's standards yet, we should be way better, you know like.. ????

Frikkin idiots at NASA!

So I guess if these astronauts die on the way back to earth because they STILL can't figure out how to fix these tiles, you won't have a problem with it, right?

Go fuck yourself.

BigMeatballDave

07-16-2009, 09:32 AM

BTW, Orion 15 is scheduled to land on the Moon in June 2019.10 years? I thoight we'd be on Mars by then.

wild1

07-16-2009, 09:32 AM

My only question would be, haven't there been like a hundred space shuttle flights in the past, why didn't this happen pre-2002? Or was it always happening and not being noticed?

Donger

07-16-2009, 09:36 AM

My only question would be, haven't there been like a hundred space shuttle flights in the past, why didn't this happen pre-2002? Or was it always happening and not being noticed?

Yes, foam has always broken off the external tank and has repeatedly hit the shuttle. Unfortunately with Columbia, it struck precisely where it would cause catastrophic failure during re-entry.

Donger

07-16-2009, 09:37 AM

10 years? I thoight we'd be on Mars by then.

It may not happen at all. The present administration is reviewing the mission now.

BigMeatballDave

07-16-2009, 09:37 AM

Seriously, why all the NASA hate?I don't know about the hate, but they've had issues with this foam for yrs now even after losing 7 astronauts and a Shuttle. Seriously. They put a man on the Moon more than 40 yrs ago, and they can't solve the foam problem.

Frazod

07-16-2009, 09:45 AM

I don't know about the hate, but they've had issues with this foam for yrs now even after losing 7 astronauts and a Shuttle. Seriously. They put a man on the Moon more than 40 yrs ago, and they can't solve the foam problem.

Apparently attaching tiles correctly is the most complex task in the history of the universe.

:rolleyes:

wild1

07-16-2009, 09:53 AM

Yes, foam has always broken off the external tank and has repeatedly hit the shuttle. Unfortunately with Columbia, it struck precisely where it would cause catastrophic failure during re-entry.

so if it's not on the leading edge, nothing to worry about, but if it is then they can't repair it.

Donger

07-16-2009, 09:54 AM

Apparently attaching tiles correctly is the most complex task in the history of the universe.

:rolleyes:

The tiles aren't the cause of the problem. The foam shedding is. They could make the tiles impervious to foam impact, but unfortunately, they would weigh too much.

Donger

07-16-2009, 10:01 AM

so if it's not on the leading edge, nothing to worry about, but if it is then they can't repair it.

They think that Columbia actually had a hole about a foot in diameter in the leading edge. It's a combination of where the hit is (and how hot it gets during re-entry) and is it a ding or a hole.

Claysexual

07-16-2009, 10:01 AM

Apparently attaching tiles correctly is the most complex task in the history of the universe.

:rolleyes:

"We can put a man on the Moon, but we can't______".

40 years later, this statement that we've all heard a million times gives me pause.
This IS indeed the great question, isn't it?

And 40 years later, with the lack of advancement in space-travel, no commercial space travel, and technology we were supposed to be enjoying right now, this question/statement gives further credence to the theory that we in fact did NOT go to the Moon.

So there.:p

CoMoChief

07-16-2009, 10:03 AM

Hard to say how long it would take to prep a rescue mission...They can probably stay docked to the ISS for awhile, but how long?...

Calling Bruce Willis.....

Donger

07-16-2009, 10:04 AM

Calling Bruce Willis.....

They could stay in the ISS for up to two months. And they could use the Soyuz if they had to.

wild1

07-16-2009, 10:06 AM

"We can put a man on the Moon, but we can't______".

Well, some things are a lot harder than putting two boots down on the moon.

wild1

07-16-2009, 10:07 AM

They could stay in the ISS for up to two months. And they could use the Soyuz if they had to.

If Soyuz can get them back to earth, would it be the case that sending another shuttle up is out of the question?

Baby Lee

07-16-2009, 10:08 AM

Yes, I know. My point was about having the crew vehicle above all the crap falling off, be it ice or foam.

The point is more that the re-entry surface was protected by being under the capsule and clad by the booster cylinder, as opposed to running the breadth of the shuttle out on the open. But that seems to be the price of a reusable re-entry vehicle with a payload capacity of the shuttle.

JD10367

07-16-2009, 10:13 AM

So I guess if these astronauts die on the way back to earth because they STILL can't figure out how to fix these tiles, you won't have a problem with it, right?

Your implication is that NASA is simply incompetent, and doesn't "fix" the tile problem because they're stupid? Again, if they had a better system, they'd be using it.

And what's the alternative? Should we halt space exploration until we come up with a "safe" method? There is no such thing. Should we stop flying because some planes have crashed lately? Stop driving our cars because so many people die in auto accidents? It ain't easy being human. We can't sit in our caves and whimper. We go out and do some crazy shit, and sometimes some of us die in the process. That's sort of how we do things as a race. It's what got us on sailing ships, and it's what got us exploring jungles and mountaintops and deep sea and space. "To go where no one has gone before" and all that crap.

And, not to speak for the astronauts but, I'm pretty sure they knew the risks when they took the job. Like a firefighter, policeman, member of the military, deep-sea fisherman, construction worker, or anyone else who chooses a hazardous job. I honor them for it, and applaud them for it, and if something bad befalls them I will mourn for it... but the astronauts aren't exactly clueless morons who were forced into their job. They know what they get into when they sit on top of the world's largest Roman candle.

teedubya

07-16-2009, 10:15 AM

7 minutes from Stage 4 on http://wechoosethemoon.org/

JD10367

07-16-2009, 10:19 AM

I don't know about the hate, but they've had issues with this foam for yrs now even after losing 7 astronauts and a Shuttle. Seriously. They put a man on the Moon more than 40 yrs ago, and they can't solve the foam problem.

Well, to be fair, putting a man on the moon involved a whole lot of physics and deep thought but, technologically, it wasn't exactly "Star Trek". It was a big three-stage booster and then pretty much gravity and aim. They programmed those suckers using IBM Punch Cards and the computer had less capability than your average calculator. Hell, the first computers in the Space Shuttle couldn't hold a candle to a decent late-80's Color Macintosh. Humanity is pretty ingenious about doing some amazing shit with much less technology than you'd think.

The shuttle, on the other hand, has all those plane parts. Like brakes and engines and ailerons and flaps and landing gear. The missions to the moon were "ride it there, then turn the engines on and ride it back home and plop down in a tin can with a parachute". The lunar lander itself was intricate, but even that wasn't exactly a mystery in terms of the physics involved. And once the tin can landed, it's job was done; on the other hand, having a reusable craft that can land like a plane is an amazing feat.

Mr. Plow

07-16-2009, 10:22 AM

Send up a giant Wolf sweatshirt. That'll fix any problems they might have.

Your implication is that NASA is simply incompetent, and doesn't "fix" the tile problem because they're stupid? Again, if they had a better system, they'd be using it.

And what's the alternative? Should we halt space exploration until we come up with a "safe" method? There is no such thing. Should we stop flying because some planes have crashed lately? Stop driving our cars because so many people die in auto accidents? It ain't easy being human. We can't sit in our caves and whimper. We go out and do some crazy shit, and sometimes some of us die in the process. That's sort of how we do things as a race. It's what got us on sailing ships, and it's what got us exploring jungles and mountaintops and deep sea and space. "To go where no one has gone before" and all that crap.

And, not to speak for the astronauts but, I'm pretty sure they knew the risks when they took the job. Like a firefighter, policeman, member of the military, deep-sea fisherman, construction worker, or anyone else who chooses a hazardous job. I honor them for it, and applaud them for it, and if something bad befalls them I will mourn for it... but the astronauts aren't exactly clueless morons who were forced into their job. They know what they get into when they sit on top of the world's largest Roman candle.

Why am I the only fucking person on this thread gets gigged for criticizing NASA? I just can't understand why the most brilliant minds on the planet are endlessly baffled by this tile issue. And I want to know where the breakthroughs and accomplishments that once so completely awed and inspired us went, because lately all we hear about is them patting themselves on the back for fixing broken stuff.

And I never said we should stop exploring, nor did I say anything bad about the astronauts themselves, so you can shove that rah rah lecture of yours.

Why am I the only ****ing person on this thread gets gigged for criticizing NASA?

Because you're an asshole?

Donger

07-16-2009, 10:36 AM

The point is more that the re-entry surface was protected by being under the capsule and clad by the booster cylinder, as opposed to running the breadth of the shuttle out on the open. But that seems to be the price of a reusable re-entry vehicle with a payload capacity of the shuttle.

The main reason for justifying the re-use of the shuttle was to reduce costs. I don't believe that that reduction has been anywhere near predicted. It was something like $150 per pound of payload.

Frazod

07-16-2009, 10:39 AM

Because you're an asshole?

Who, me?

JD10367

07-16-2009, 10:43 AM

Why am I the only ****ing person on this thread gets gigged for criticizing NASA? I just can't understand why the most brilliant minds on the planet are endlessly baffled by this tile issue. And I want to know where the breakthroughs and accomplishments that once so completely awed and inspired us went, because lately all we hear about is them patting themselves on the back for fixing broken stuff.

And I never said we should stop exploring, nor did I say anything bad about the astronauts themselves, so you can shove that rah rah lecture of yours.

As for my rah-rah lecture, if you bend over I think I know just where to stick it.

This whole thing reminds of an exchange between John Bender and Brian Johnson in The Breakfast Club.

Brian Johnson (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001309/): I'm a fucking idiot because I can't make a lamp?
John Bender (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000555/): No. You're a genius because you can't make a lamp.

Excuse me for expecting more from the allegedly most brilliant minds on the planet.

Oh, and my implication of where rah rah could be shoved was rather obvious, but apparently you couldn't figure it out. Perhaps they should get you working on the tile issue. Douche. :whackit:

Frazod

07-16-2009, 10:56 AM

Surely you don't disagree with that assessment.

I'm also douchebag flypaper, apparently.

FAX

07-16-2009, 11:04 AM

Enough of this science stuff. Let's blow some sh*t up.

FAX

Donger

07-16-2009, 11:05 AM

I'm also douchebag flypaper, apparently.

I bet foam wouldn't damage that. It'd bounce right off and ask for more.

Frazod

07-16-2009, 11:07 AM

I bet foam wouldn't damage that. It'd bounce right off and ask for more.

Somebody should call NASA.

Mr. Plow

07-16-2009, 11:16 AM

Now the post is perfected.

Bullshit.

Send up Dane McCloud using a Chuck Norris jet pack while wearing a giant Wolf sweatshirt. That'll fix any problems they might have.

acesn8s

07-16-2009, 12:32 PM

How did the space shuttle get radioactive, fuqtard?

You're the perfect example of scientific education in the 21st century...Based on the reports from the Columbia disaster the parts that hit the ground were deemed radioactive. I was in Texas at the time they were searching for pieces visiting my folks. They were very serious about the radioactivity. They arrested a deputy for picking up a piece of debris and showing his friends and family before reporting it.

FAX

07-16-2009, 12:44 PM

Based on the reports from the Columbia disaster the parts that hit the ground were deemed radioactive. I was in Texas at the time they were searching for pieces visiting my folks. They were very serious about the radioactivity. They arrested a deputy for picking up a piece of debris and showing his friends and family before reporting it.

Aha!! So, my theory about the Van Halen Belt proves true!!!

FAX

stumppy

07-16-2009, 12:44 PM

And I want to know where the breakthroughs and accomplishments that once so completely awed and inspired us went, because lately all we hear about is them patting themselves on the back for fixing broken stuff.

:shake:

You can find out about all that stuff..........but then Dane would have to kill you.

Donger

07-16-2009, 01:27 PM

Based on the reports from the Columbia disaster the parts that hit the ground were deemed radioactive. I was in Texas at the time they were searching for pieces visiting my folks. They were very serious about the radioactivity. They arrested a deputy for picking up a piece of debris and showing his friends and family before reporting it.

There are plenty of toxic chemicals aboard the shuttles, but nothing radioactive. Perhaps they were just conflating the two.

FAX

07-16-2009, 01:30 PM

I have a question, Mr. Donger. Assuming that you are not orbiting or whatever beyond the Van Halen Belt, can you get cell service from the shuttle or the space station? Cell phones use satellites sometimes, do they not? And the satellites would be pretty close. What about Direct TV?

FAX

Frazod

07-16-2009, 01:31 PM

Van Halen Belt. LMAO

Donger

07-16-2009, 01:35 PM

I have a question, Mr. Donger. Assuming that you are not orbiting or whatever beyond the Van Halen Belt, can you get cell service from the shuttle or the space station? Cell phones use satellites sometimes, do they not? And the satellites would be pretty close. What about Direct TV?

FAX

Cell phones are radioactive and I try to avoid them whenever and wherever possible. However, to answer your question: no, your cell phone would not get service from the shuttle or the ISS.

FAX

07-16-2009, 01:43 PM

Cell phones are radioactive and I try to avoid them whenever and wherever possible. However, to answer your question: no, your cell phone would not get service from the shuttle or the ISS.

Okay.

Thanks.

FAX

mikey23545

07-16-2009, 01:46 PM

Based on the reports from the Columbia disaster the parts that hit the ground were deemed radioactive. I was in Texas at the time they were searching for pieces visiting my folks. They were very serious about the radioactivity. They arrested a deputy for picking up a piece of debris and showing his friends and family before reporting it.

Sweet Jesus.

Please shut up before the rest of us come down with whatever stupidity-inducing disease you are consumed by.

Now I understand why this country is falling so far behind other countries in educating scientists and engineers.

Donger

07-16-2009, 01:49 PM

Sweet Jesus.

Please shut up before the rest of us come down with whatever stupidity-inducing disease you are consumed by.

Now I understand why this country is falling so far behind other countries in educating scientists and engineers.

Sshhh! She's female and we need them. That isn't a disease.

007

07-16-2009, 01:59 PM

7 minutes from Stage 4 on http://wechoosethemoon.org/guess it had a work around. Is there anyway to go back and start from the beginning?

007

07-16-2009, 02:04 PM

BTW, Orion 15 is scheduled to land on the Moon in June 2019.2019?

It may not happen at all. The present administration is reviewing the mission now.It figures.

Ebolapox

07-16-2009, 04:11 PM

Aha!! So, my theory about the Van Halen Belt proves true!!!

FAX

nope, it was a foreigner belt. they found out when the deputy's head turned into a connect four 'board'-game.

acesn8s

07-16-2009, 07:46 PM

Sweet Jesus.

Please shut up before the rest of us come down with whatever stupidity-inducing disease you are consumed by.

Now I understand why this country is falling so far behind other countries in educating scientists and engineers.I guess this means that it wasn't deemed radioactive, dumbass.

http://www.space4peace.org/articles/columbia4.htm

"the overall chance of any accident that releases radioactive materials to the environment is about one in 230. "People offsite in the downwind direction...could inhale small quantities of radio nuclides" the NASA EIS says.
http://www.nuclearfreenz.org.nz/columbiast.htm

A local sheriff in Texas has reported some of the shuttle debris recovered is radioactive. So far there has been no confirmation or denial from NASA.
http://www.21stcenturyradio.com/articles/03/0603201.html

As I said, at the time it was deemed radioactive. Radioactive fuels being tested in space for the purpose of space flight when blown apart from their protective casings can contaminate objects around them.

acesn8s

07-16-2009, 08:03 PM

Damn another source.

debris from space shuttle Columbia has been reported on the ground in 38 Texas counties and 21 Louisiana parishes. Also on Tuesday, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality confirmed two sites that have been contaminated with shuttle debris. One, in Sabine county, is contaminated with shuttle fuel. The other, in Palestine, is contaminated with radioactive material.

Also, it's not an allegation that the whole Shuttle was radioactive, from passing through the Kip Winger Belt or otherwise, it was that there was a radioactive module on board for experimental purposes that was compromised in the crash and leaked over pieces of the wreckage.

Bugeater

07-18-2009, 08:49 AM

Yes, I know what the EPA is. I wasn't aware that they claim that there was radioactive debris in the Columbia wreckage.
Well, to be fair, it doesn't specify exactly who deemed the wreckage to be radioactive in that blurb Aces posted. Perhaps it was an exaggeration in order to scare people into staying away from it, I don't really know. Nevertheless it was obviously put out there and there was no reason for Mikey to jump Aces' shit over it.